American Indian Religious Freedom Litigation: Promise and Perils
"It is my opinion," testified the chairman of the Hopi Indian Tribal Council in the unsuccessful effort of the Hopi (and the Navajo) to stop further development of a ski resort on U.S. Forest Service land in the San Francisco Peaks in North Central Arizona,that in the long run if the expan...
| Published in: | Journal of law and religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Cambridge Univ. Press
1985
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| In: |
Journal of law and religion
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | "It is my opinion," testified the chairman of the Hopi Indian Tribal Council in the unsuccessful effort of the Hopi (and the Navajo) to stop further development of a ski resort on U.S. Forest Service land in the San Francisco Peaks in North Central Arizona,that in the long run if the expansion is permitted, we will not be able successfully to teach our people that this is a sacred place. If the ski resort remains or is expanded, our people will not accept the view that this is the sacred Home of the Kachinas. The basis of our existence as a society will become a mere fairy tale to our people. If our people no longer possess this long-held belief and way of life… then it follows they will also no longer possess the entire Kachina belief. This will have a direct and negative impact upon our religious practices. The destruction of these practices will also destroy our present way of life and culture.With such high stakes involved it is little wonder that the Hopi Indian Tribe resorted to the courts. Yet, such a step is a high risk venture. The immediate costs in terms of time, money, and emotional involvement are likely to be high. Further, every such investment involves the possibility of loss of the case and with it the additional possibility that the decisive language of the court may find its way into opinions in similar cases. Most importantly, perhaps, an attempt to defend a tribal religion in court could involve subtle longer range costs. Paradoxically, an effort to defend tribal religion may also undermine it. |
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| ISSN: | 2163-3088 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of law and religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/1051348 |